“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol 

The Art of Art

Popular Opinion

There have been so many paintings in such a wide range of subjects and movements across history that it can be difficult to narrow a selection to the best paintings ever. This list of the <a href="/list/classical-paintings-zodiac/megan-summers" target="_blank">best paintings</a> in history includes the best Baroque period <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-famous-art-actually-looks-like-in-context/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">art</a>, the most famous Renaissance paintings, and even the most famous portraits.

Even though some of the paintings on this list may be from famous artists whose <a href="/list/most-expensive-painting-ever-sold/alby-thompson" target="_blank">works sell for lots of money</a>, like Picasso or <a href="/list/dark-origins-of-frida-kahlo-paintings/erin-wisti" target="_blank">Frida Kahlo</a>, you may also find some classic paintings you recognize from artists whose names you didn&#39;t know, like Jan Brueghel the Younger. There are even famous paintings that may be new to you, like Tiger by German Expressionist Franz Marc and Espa&ntilde;a y Filipinas by Juan Luna. From the smooth precision of painters like Peter Paul Rubens to the broad strokes of Matisse paintings, these famous art pieces are of the very best by the greatest painters of all time.

The Best Paintings Of All Time

Artwork

The 200 Best Paintings Of All Time

Ranker Art

Looking closer at the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, a period during which artists, architects, politicians, scientists, and writers embraced humanism, bringing their society from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

The Renaissance

Renaissance

Dan Brown&rsquo;s novel&nbsp;The Da Vinci Code has been thoroughly&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/books/art-architecture-does-the-da-vinci-code-crack-leonardo.html?pagewanted=all">debunked</a> as being nothing but a &ldquo;beach book&rdquo; with no basis in reality (despite Brown&#39;s claims of a scholarly pedigree). Brown&rsquo;s become something of a joke to actual art history scholars, mainly because he made the general public start thinking there were mysterious codes and symbols in Renaissance art&mdash;and hidden meaning in art in general&mdash;when there largely isn&rsquo;t. There&rsquo;s no doubt, of course, that artists use symbolism&nbsp;in their work and have for centuries, but it&rsquo;s not the coded biblical messages and prophesies that a lot of people think.

There are, however, other examples of hidden&nbsp;meanings, messages, and &ldquo;Easter eggs&rdquo; in Renaissance art that are pretty damn cool, even if they don&rsquo;t tell us when the world will end or where the treasure is hidden. Read on for some of the coolest&mdash;and totally legit&mdash;examples of secrets hidden in Renaissance art.

14 Symbols and Codes Hidden in Renaissance Art That You Never Would Have Noticed

Secret Symbols and Codes in Renaissance Art

Kellen Perry

Supernatural & Paranormal

Witches are a haunting subject, and witches depicted in art reflect just how much the magical, folkloric&nbsp;beings have frightened people throughout history. From broomsticks to melting pots to backwards goats, witches in art are nearly as daunting as the stories that have been passed down for centuries.

Although films and TV shows such as Hocus Pocus and&nbsp;Sabrina the Teenage Witch&nbsp;give us fun-loving, energetic, and distinclty human witches, paintings and wood carvings of&nbsp;witches in artwork often reveal the cultural&nbsp;fear&nbsp;that inspired tragic events such as the Salem Witch Trials.&nbsp;

Witch images in art can be creepier than an Addams family dinner, but they&#39;re also reflections of historical anxieties. These portrayals demonstrate just how deep the association between the devil and the craft runs. These witches are not wearing crystals or growing vegetables - they&#39;re preparing their next sacrifice.

20 Haunting Portrayals Of Witches In Art

General

Samantha Dillinger

Did you read that article that linked so-and-so to that guy from the thing? Or see the video about how this is the same as that? Come on, let's weave some tangled webs!

It's a Conspiracy

Conspiracies

This list is for all you&nbsp;fans of&nbsp;The Da Vinci Code who&nbsp;can&#39;t get enough of&nbsp;art conspiracy theories. If these theories are to be believed, all these famous works of art&nbsp;have&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/renaissance-art-symbols-and-codes/kellen-perry">hidden meanings</a>&nbsp;or clandestine scandals surrounding them. Many are da Vinci&#39;s, but the famous Italian polymath certainly wasn&#39;t the only artist who knew how to hide a secret in&nbsp;plain sight.

Some of the&nbsp;theories on this list are pretty <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/antikythera-mechanism-theories/jenniferlennon">bizarre</a>, but if you&#39;ve found your way here, you&#39;re probably okay with that. These ideas are rife with speculation; art historians, stick with your books and academic journals. Here you will find only wonder at the potential of the world and&nbsp;myriad forgotten histories and secret messages buried all around us. Absent uncovering a note from the artist&nbsp;specifically detailing&nbsp;his intentions, there&#39;s no way to prove any of these famous art conspiracies are true. But it&#39;s fun to think about how these famous artists may have left hidden messages for us.

13 Conspiracy Theories About Famous Paintings

Katherine Ripley

Trending on Ranker

&quot;Art&quot; is a subjective phrase. Some people hear it and think of music, beauty, or anything that inspires a burning passion. Others hear it and picture rich, snooty folks sipping rich, snooty wine and eating the richest, snootiest cheeses. Both interpretations can be correct.

Genuine art is an expression of the artist, but once a <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-incredible-pieces-of-artwork-ever-made?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">piece of art</a> is out in the world, it takes on a life of its own. You may already be familiar with the&nbsp;Mona Lisa,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Girl with the Pearl Earring, or La&ouml;coon, but each of these masterpieces is surrounded by a wealth of history - and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-painting-conspiracy-theories/katherine-ripley" target="_blank">sometimes intrigue</a>.

The following fun facts about art may make you see these popular works in a new light. Vote up the ones you just learned today.

Facts We Just Learned About Famous Artworks That Made Us Say 'Really?'

Pierce Nahigyan

The history of optical illusions in art blends intent and expression, sometimes with a healthy dose of trickery and fun. Works of art throughout history reflect the circumstances, perspectives, and outlooks of the&nbsp;individuals who created them. This can be done consciously or unconsciously, incorporating new styles, techniques, and ideas. During the Middle Ages, Romanesque and Gothic art and architecture emphasized spirituality and symbolism, leading to a return to classical styles during the Renaissance.

Optical illusions in Renaissance art emphasize a fascination with physical perspective and individualism, while later 17th and 18th century artistic genres demonstrate experimentation with light, color, realism, and the abstract world. Artists in the 19th and 20th centuries continued to explore conceptual art techniques and mind-bending media.

Optical illusions in art - whether they be&nbsp;macabre, playful, or even mathematical - have a unique way of manipulating the human eye.&nbsp;

Optical Illusions In Famous Works Of Art

Optical Illusions in Famous Works of Art

Melissa Sartore

Overrated

This is a list of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-overrated-movies-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the most overrated</a> paintings ever created, ranked from most overrated to least overrated. These are the works of art that have been acclaimed despite not being all that great. Because this is a crowdranked list, Ranker visitors can make their own lists and vote on the artwork to help decide where individual paintings belong on the list. Remember, voting up a certain painting means that you think it is overrated, and belongs on the list. Voting against means you like it and don't think that it is all that overrated.

Portrait of Henry VIII

The Most Overrated Paintings of All Time

Ranker Community

Culture

&quot;You can either buy clothes or buy pictures,&quot; Gertrude Stein told Ernest Hemingway, according to his memoir&nbsp;A Moveable Feast. And if you purchased one of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/why-does-art-sell-for-so-much/megan-summers" target="_blank">most expensive paintings ever sold</a>, it&#39;s a solid bet you bought a&nbsp;picture&nbsp;of a woman without clothes. Yes, undressed women&nbsp;are the subject of several of the <a href="/list/best-paintings-all-time/ranker-art" target="_blank">most valuable paintings</a> here, along with&nbsp;card players;&nbsp;a wealthy Amsterdam couple;&nbsp;the American flag;&nbsp;colors; and&nbsp;Jesus sporting long, curly hair.&nbsp;

A variety of artists are represented, living and passed on, including Pablo Picasso (with a whopping five paintings on the list), Jasper Johns, and Claude Monet - whose painting here is not even one of <a href="/list/claude-monet-best-paintings/ranker-art" target="_blank">his most popular</a>. Every one of the paintings on this list cost more than $100 million. That&#39;s a lot of clothes. But fine art is priceless, right?

The Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold

Alby Thompson

Vincent <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-vincent-van-gogh-paintings/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Van Gogh paintings</a> are some of the world&#39;s best-known and most-loved pieces of art. The 19th century painter&nbsp;suffered from depression and poverty, but famously also created some world-famous works of art. From self-portraits to dreamy skyscapes, van gogh artwork has certainly made an impression on the art world.&nbsp;

The Vincent Van Gogh most famous artwork, The Starry Night, shows the incredible skill of an artist expressing movement, light, and emotion in his brushstrokes. The Vincent Van Gogh sunflowers are another beloved painting.&nbsp;

Which are&nbsp;the best Vincent Van Gogh paintings? Now is your chance to make your voice heard. Vote up the Van Gogh best paintings below.

Vincent Van Gogh's Greatest Works Of Art

The 25 Best Vincent Van Gogh Paintings, Ranked By Art Aficionados

Lists for and about those superfans who can name every member of the Cantina band, do a passable Shyriiwook howl, and dress up with lightsabers and Cinnabon hair to imagine what life would be like a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Geeking Out: Star Wars

Fan Made

You know a property is successful when it spawns fan art. There&#39;s successful, and then there&#39;s Star Wars. So naturally there&#39;s plenty of amazing fan art about the franchise, which is so idolized and beloved that fans are compelled to create artwork with their own spins on the characters and iconography. Sometimes, these spins are really, really funny.

Star Wars is arguably the biggest franchise of all time. It&#39;s redefined multiple generations for decades.&nbsp;That&#39;s decades of artists and creative thinkers loving the mythology and creating their own art about it. Being that there&#39;s a huge, boundless amount of fan art out there, this list focuses on the funniest Star Wars fan art. The stuff that makes you rethink other properties or even shines a new different funny light on a galaxy far far away.

This is a list of the funniest Star Wars fan art, so vote up the pieces that tickle your funny bone!

The Funniest Star Wars Fan Art in the Galaxy

Coy Jandreau

Post-presidency, George W. Bush has been busy. Painting. In 2017, he even released a book of portraits entitled Portraits of Courage&nbsp;which features paintings of various American Military and Service heroes.

Below you&#39;ll get a peek at some of the paintings featured in the aforementioned book, as well as some of the more well-circulated George W. Bush paintings of world leaders, celebrities, and his&nbsp;bathroom. The leaders pictured range from&nbsp;his father,&nbsp;George H.W. Bush, to Russian President Vladimir Putin and less-flattering portrayals of figures&nbsp;such as Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

All 33 George W. Bush Original Paintings That Were Made Public

Every Single George W Bush Original Painting Made Public, Ranked

Ashley Reign

Lists about customs, rituals, and daily life in Ancient Rome and the Roman Republic, which ruled the Mediterranean from 8th Century BC until its spectacular collapse in 476 AD.

Rome If You Want To

Ancient History

Our view of ancient sculpture - and therefore the ancient world itself - is distorted by the fact that the centuries have wiped most of the paint off the statues that survive from antiquity. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/realistic-reproductions-of-ancient-greek-sculptures/kellie-kreiss" target="_blank">Once vibrantly colored</a>, the statues have become white or gray, bare and lifeless. But now it&#39;s increasingly possible to see what they once looked like.

<a href="https://www.relivehistoryin3d.com/" target="_blank">History in 3D</a> is an organization that seeks to use digital technology to recreate the ancient world as accurately as possible - <a href="https://www.relivehistoryin3d.com/2021/01/28/twilight-of-rome-the-eternal-city-at-the-peak-of-its-glory/" target="_blank">the architecture</a> as well as the people. One of its projects, <a href="https://www.relivehistoryin3d.com/2021/01/19/history-in-3d-creates-a-series-of-accurate-reconstructions-of-first-12-roman-caesars/" target="_blank">Romans in 3D</a>, is an effort to show what ancient Romans really looked like. Where better to start than with the first 12 Caesars?

The images below take existing sculptures and overlay colors to match the way they would have been painted at the time. The effect is startling: the statues seem to come to life, and we feel that we would easily recognize each of these individuals if we saw them walking down the street (assuming we could see beyond all the Praetorian Guards surrounding them).

12 Statues Of Roman Emperors As The Romans Would Have Seen Them - In Color

Person

12 Statues Of Roman Emperors In Color

Gordon Cameron

Entertainment

Movies inspired by paintings&nbsp;extract the most iconic qualities of their&nbsp;source material and transform them into something more modern and altogether unique. An ancient, towering god&nbsp;becomes a giant robot in Guillermo del Toro&#39;s Pacific Rim. A biblical scene is updated for 1970s New York City bar culture in Martin Scorsese&#39;s&nbsp;Mean Streets.&nbsp;While some directors rely on the style and moods evoked by certain artists, others make movies based on paintings that&nbsp;focus on a specific piece&nbsp;of art to&nbsp;shape everything from set design to costuming to narrative developments.

Whether it&#39;s an animated Disney flick geared toward children, an iconic&nbsp;horror feature&nbsp;that borders on exploitation, or <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-artist-biopics/ranker-film" target="_blank">a biopic about a well-known artist</a>, movies inspired by paintings or other pictorial works are as plentiful and diverse as the world of visual art itself.

13 Movies Inspired By Works Of Art

Film

Megan Summers

World History

The 1920s spurred a new art movement south of the US border: Mexican muralism. Catalyzed largely by the Mexican Revolution, the new government hoped to reunify the nation through promoting political and social messages&nbsp;via artworks. The movement was led by three artists, known as &ldquo;the big three&rdquo; &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://mymodernmet.com/diego-rivera-murals/" target="_blank">Diego Rivera</a> (husband of famed <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/dark-origins-of-frida-kahlo-paintings/erin-wisti" target="_blank">painter Frida Kahlo</a>),&nbsp;David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jos&eacute; Clemente Orozco.

The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_muralism" target="_blank">Mexican Muralism&nbsp;Movement</a> lasted more than 50 years, from the 1920s to the &#39;70s. During this time, many artworks were commissioned by the Mexican government, and a large number of public buildings were plastered with social, political, and nationalistic allegories in the form of aesthetically powerful and vibrant murals.&nbsp;Most of the murals highlighted Mexico&#39;s impressive history and the destruction of morality through war, imperialism, dictatorships, and industrialization.

<a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=es&amp;u=https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharsis&amp;prev=search" target="_blank">Orozco&nbsp;described&nbsp;muralism</a>&nbsp;as &quot;the highest, the most logical, the purest (form of art), because it is for the people.&nbsp;It&#39;s for everyone.&quot;&nbsp;It inspired regional evolution of art in&nbsp;the Americas, serving as the cornerstone for the Chicano Art&nbsp;Movement in the US.

The Craziest Mexican Murals and the Revolutionary History Behind Them

13 Revolutionary Mexican Murals and the History Behind Them

Jessica Holom

Often housed in museums or as part of a private collection, artwork takes various forms.&nbsp;Paintings and sculptures adorn walls and occupy gardens around the world, attesting to the creativity and skill of men and women from the ancient world to the present.

You might know some of the most famous pieces of art - ancient Roman statues, Medieval paintings, and&nbsp;Renaissance works continue to be reproduced in books, shown in movies, and even parodied in popular culture.&nbsp;But what do they look like in context? How big is The Mona Lisa&nbsp;painting in real life? And just <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/height-of-famous-statues/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">how tall is Michelangelo&#39;s&nbsp;David?</a>&nbsp;

Photos that show what famous art is really like give you a sense of size and scale, but can also reshape how you see the creations entirely. Vote up the famous art&nbsp;that, amid their surroundings, give you a new appreciation of the work&nbsp;itself.&nbsp;

What 21 Famous Pieces Of Art Actually Look Like In Context

Galleries of cool, creative, and stunning artwork tattooed right on human skin.

Amazing Ink

While the practice of tattoos has been around for centuries, tattoos imitating watercolor painting are relatively new, as well as revolutionary. Watercolor tattoos imitate the brushstrokes, patterns, and style of paintings created in watercolors, in particular the vibrant colors and detail to hue and opacity. Watercolor tattoos have a distinct style, and the tattoos on this list are the most stunning, and will surely give you ideas for watercolor tattoos of your own.Many associate tattoos with black blocks of lines and tribal markings, or cheesy sayings in fancy font, but if you're looking for something a little different, check out the coolest watercolor tattoo designs on the list below. We find these <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/harry-styles-tattoos/tat-fancy?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">types of tattoos</a> incredibly beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.

Breathtaking Watercolor Tattoos You've Gotta See

Best Watercolor Tattoos | List of Watercolor Tattoo Ideas

Jo Swo

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